Area retailers report promising start to holiday shopping season

Published: Monday, November 26, 2012 at 5:44 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, November 26, 2012 at 5:44 p.m.

Strong sales Thanksgiving weekend have the owners of Tom Cook Jeweler hopeful about the rest of this year's holiday shopping season.

"We had a good weekend," said Ashley Leonhardt Lee, vice president of sales and marketing at her family's Beach Street jewelry store in downtown Daytona Beach. "We saw an increase in foot traffic over last year. We definitely see a good season ahead."

They're not alone.

Nationally, an estimated 247 million shoppers turned out to take advantage of retailers' Thanksgiving and Black Friday discount offers — up from 226 million last year, according to National Retail Federation estimates.

U.S. shoppers also spent more this Thanksgiving weekend than last year, an average of $423 over the four-day period, compared to $398 last year. Retailers rang up an estimated $59.1 billion in sales over the holiday weekend, up from $55 billion last year, according to the federation's report.

Thanksgiving weekend sales figures for Florida were not yet available, but a spokesman for a statewide association of retailers said his group's members reported an increase in customer foot traffic.

"If you were out this weekend, you saw a lot of shoppers," said John Fleming, a spokesman for the Florida Retail Federation. "We have not tallied up any gross sales figures, but we anticipated a 5.2 percent increase for the two-month holiday shopping season and we are holding to that after this past weekend."

The Friday after Thanksgiving traditionally is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, but retailers typically generate the most sales on the Saturday before Christmas, Fleming said.

Janet Bollum, owner of The Muse Book Shop in downtown DeLand, said the business district was "busy with lots of people" shopping this past weekend. She estimated her store's sales for the weekend were up 25 percent compared with last year.

"Black Friday is to shop the big boxes and then shop small businesses on Saturday," she said, referring to the national Small Business Saturday event that takes place on the Saturday immediately following Thanksgiving.

The event was started by American Express in 2010, but has grown to include many participating businesses that have no connection with the credit card company. "It's more ingrained in people now," Bollum said of Small Business Saturday.

Bollum kept her South Woodland Boulevard shop open until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, when it normally closes at 6 p.m. She also opened Sunday, a day the store is usually closed. The Muse Book Shop will be open seven days a week through the holidays.

Tom Cook Jeweler will also keep its doors open each Saturday through Christmas in an effort to maximize its sales this holiday season. The store normally closes on weekends.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for people to come in when they can," Lee said of her store's extended holiday hours. "We want to give them more options."

Royal Electronics in Port Orange was busy over the weekend, too, but revenues were not as strong as expected, said Renee Waters, the electronics store's sales manager.

"We're not seeing the big purchases as expected so far this season," she said. "We're busy with custom installations and a lot of regular customers are buying smaller items, filling in their systems with BlueRay equipment and speakers."

Rather than running Black Friday ads, Ocean Books & Art on State Road A1A in Flagler Beach ran "Green Friday" promotions designed to tie into nature, marine life and conservation themes. The marketing tactic didn't work, said Frank Gromling, the independent book store's owner.

"It wasn't a big hit. It wasn't the draw we wanted or expected," he said. "I'm not sure if the big box stores or the malls captured everybody and wouldn't let them go or not, but it was just OK for us."

"People were on a mission this weekend. They have more enthusiasm," he said. "Sales were up 24 percent from a year ago. We were open earlier on Friday and Saturday and open Sunday when we are normally closed. We'll stay open Sundays until mid-January. It makes it easier for the customers."

Volusia Mall also extended its hours, opening the area's largest shopping center to lines of shoppers at midnight Thanksgiving night, five hours earlier than in previous years.

"It was very busy from midnight to 3 a.m. then there was a lull in the traffic until around 5 a.m. and then it picked up again," said Mandy York, a spokeswoman for Volusia Mall.

<p>Strong sales Thanksgiving weekend have the owners of Tom Cook Jeweler hopeful about the rest of this year's holiday shopping season.</p><p>"We had a good weekend," said Ashley Leonhardt Lee, vice president of sales and marketing at her family's Beach Street jewelry store in downtown Daytona Beach. "We saw an increase in foot traffic over last year. We definitely see a good season ahead." </p><p>They're not alone.</p><p>Nationally, an estimated 247 million shoppers turned out to take advantage of retailers' Thanksgiving and Black Friday discount offers &mdash; up from 226 million last year, according to National Retail Federation estimates. </p><p>U.S. shoppers also spent more this Thanksgiving weekend than last year, an average of $423 over the four-day period, compared to $398 last year. Retailers rang up an estimated $59.1 billion in sales over the holiday weekend, up from $55 billion last year, according to the federation's report. </p><p>Thanksgiving weekend sales figures for Florida were not yet available, but a spokesman for a statewide association of retailers said his group's members reported an increase in customer foot traffic.</p><p>"If you were out this weekend, you saw a lot of shoppers," said John Fleming, a spokesman for the Florida Retail Federation. "We have not tallied up any gross sales figures, but we anticipated a 5.2 percent increase for the two-month holiday shopping season and we are holding to that after this past weekend." </p><p>The Florida Retail Federation expects shoppers to pump $58 billion into the state's economy this holiday shopping season, compared to $55 billion last year. </p><p>The Friday after Thanksgiving traditionally is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, but retailers typically generate the most sales on the Saturday before Christmas, Fleming said. </p><p>Janet Bollum, owner of The Muse Book Shop in downtown DeLand, said the business district was "busy with lots of people" shopping this past weekend. She estimated her store's sales for the weekend were up 25 percent compared with last year. </p><p>"Black Friday is to shop the big boxes and then shop small businesses on Saturday," she said, referring to the national Small Business Saturday event that takes place on the Saturday immediately following Thanksgiving. </p><p>The event was started by American Express in 2010, but has grown to include many participating businesses that have no connection with the credit card company. "It's more ingrained in people now," Bollum said of Small Business Saturday. </p><p>Bollum kept her South Woodland Boulevard shop open until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, when it normally closes at 6 p.m. She also opened Sunday, a day the store is usually closed. The Muse Book Shop will be open seven days a week through the holidays. </p><p>Tom Cook Jeweler will also keep its doors open each Saturday through Christmas in an effort to maximize its sales this holiday season. The store normally closes on weekends. </p><p>"We want to make it as easy as possible for people to come in when they can," Lee said of her store's extended holiday hours. "We want to give them more options." </p><p>Royal Electronics in Port Orange was busy over the weekend, too, but revenues were not as strong as expected, said Renee Waters, the electronics store's sales manager. </p><p>"We're not seeing the big purchases as expected so far this season," she said. "We're busy with custom installations and a lot of regular customers are buying smaller items, filling in their systems with BlueRay equipment and speakers." </p><p>Rather than running Black Friday ads, Ocean Books & Art on State Road A1A in Flagler Beach ran "Green Friday" promotions designed to tie into nature, marine life and conservation themes. The marketing tactic didn't work, said Frank Gromling, the independent book store's owner. </p><p>"It wasn't a big hit. It wasn't the draw we wanted or expected," he said. "I'm not sure if the big box stores or the malls captured everybody and wouldn't let them go or not, but it was just OK for us." </p><p>Michael Toole, owner and founder of independent vinyl record/compact disc store Atlantic Sounds in downtown Daytona Beach, said his weekend was "fantastic," </p><p>"People were on a mission this weekend. They have more enthusiasm," he said. "Sales were up 24 percent from a year ago. We were open earlier on Friday and Saturday and open Sunday when we are normally closed. We'll stay open Sundays until mid-January. It makes it easier for the customers." </p><p>Volusia Mall also extended its hours, opening the area's largest shopping center to lines of shoppers at midnight Thanksgiving night, five hours earlier than in previous years. </p><p>"It was very busy from midnight to 3 a.m. then there was a lull in the traffic until around 5 a.m. and then it picked up again," said Mandy York, a spokeswoman for Volusia Mall. </p><p>She noted that some stores have reported double-digit sales increases, especially teen apparel stores as younger shoppers dominate the initial crowds. </p><p>Despite the weekend rush and increased consumer confidence, shoppers are still a bit cautious, Bollum said. </p><p>"People are in a better mood and shopping more, but they are more conscience shoppers dollar-wise per item. They're being more careful shoppers."</p><p>News-Journal Business Writer Aaron London contributed to this report.</p>